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The Reptile (1966)
| running time = 86 min. | country = UK | language = English | budget = Unknown | gross revenue = Unknown | preceded by = | followed by = }} The Reptile is a British horror film directed by John Gilling. It was produced by Anthony Nelson Keys for Hammer Film Productions and written by Anthony Hinds under the pseudonym of John Elder. It was released in the United Kingdom on March 6th, 1966. US distribution was handled by Twentieth Century Fox and premiered in the United States on April 6th, 1966. Plot At the turn of the century, Harry Spalding inherits his late brother's cottage in Cornwall. He arrives with his new bride, Valerie. The inhabitants of the village keep clear of the newly arrived couple, and only the publican, Tom Bailey, befriends them. Bailey explains that the hostility exhibited by the townspeople is the result of many mysterious deaths in the community. Valerie is frightened by the sinister Dr. Franklyn, the owner of the nearby Well House. Franklyn is the only resident in the vicinity of the cottage, and he lives with his daughter Anna. The Doctor treats his daughter with cruel contempt, and she is attended by a silent Malay servant. Hoping to learn something of the deaths, Harry invites the local eccentric, Mad Peter, home for dinner. After warning them that their lives are in danger, Mad Peter quickly departs only to return later that evening foaming at the mouth, with his face blackened and swollen. He dies within a few minutes. Tom Bailey, in an attempt to help Harry clear up the mystery, illegally unearths Mad Peter’s corpse and discovers a strange neck wound like a snake bite. Harry and Tom dig up another coffin and find that corpse also has those same, strange marks. Realizing that they are threatened by something far worse than they had ever imagined, Harry is quick to answer an urgent message from the Well House, where’s Valerie’s life is in danger. Meanwhile at the eerie abode, Valerie witnesses Dr. Franklyn’s attempt to kill his own cursed daughter. She also witnesses a fierce struggle between the doctor and the deranged Malay servant. During the battle, a lantern is overturned and Dr. Franklyn is bitten by the venomous fangs of his Reptilian daughter. Painfully, the doctor dies. The final scene features the Reptile and the Well House crumbling in flames with Harry and Valerie fleeing for their lives. Cast Notes & Trivia * The Reptile was filmed at Bray Studios in Berkshire, England. Most of Hammer's horror films of the 1950s-70s were filmed there. * Was filmed back to back with John Gilling's Plague of the Zombies and reuses many of the same set pieces. * The Reptile was released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on November 2nd, 1999. It was also packaged with The Lost Continent as a double-feature as part of "The Hammer Collection" by Anchor Bay and Starz Entertainment on July 27th, 2004. External Links * * The Reptile at Wikipedia * The Reptile at AllRovi.com * The Reptile at The Terror Trap * The Reptile at Popcorn Pictures * The Reptile at Rotten Tomatoes * The Reptile at The Brimstone Pit * The Reptile at British Horror Films * The Reptile at Classic-Horror.com References ---- Category:1966 films Category:Hammer Film Productions Category:Seven Arts Pictures Category:Anchor Bay Entertainment Category:Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation